An American mountain climber with a "Free Tibet" banner was forced to turn back from Mount Everest, which Chinese climbers carrying the Olympic torch plan to summit next month, officials said Wednesday.

A potentially dangerous cruise-control switch is on at least 6 million additional Ford vehicles, the company acknowledges. The switch led to an investigation of 3.7 million Ford pickups and SUVs because the switch was linked to engine fires.

Though it's too early to tell whether a flood of Americans will visit South Africa this year for celebrations of the 10th anniversary of democracy, tourism officials expect at least the same small annual growth from the past decade.